# Billy Joel (And later, questions on moderator actions) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 9, 2001, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-joel-and-later-questions-on-moderator-actions/49213 "2001-01-09T20:51:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Knighted\_Vorpal\_Sword](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ac91a4/32.png) [@Knighted\_Vorpal\_Sword](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knighted_Vorpal_Sword)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-joel-and-later-questions-on-moderator-actions/49213/1 "2001-01-09T20:51:18Z")
I was recently listening to Billy Joel’s “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me,” and I realized I still don’t know what “pink sidewinders” are. Anyone out there have any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-joel-and-later-questions-on-moderator-actions/49213/2 "2001-01-09T21:32:59Z")
Suspenders, I would guess. You know–to hold up the orange pants. ---
**Author:** ![King\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7bcc69/32.png) [@King\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/King_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-joel-and-later-questions-on-moderator-actions/49213/3 "2001-01-09T21:36:15Z")
It is a little-known fact that Jackie Chan is one of the premier Billy Joel scholars. So [Ask Jackie](http://members.aol.com/modoggie5/askjackie.htm) and scroll to the second question from the bottom. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-joel-and-later-questions-on-moderator-actions/49213/4 "2001-01-09T22:37:02Z")
I’m sorry, is it just me or is Jackie Chan _the_ coolest person on Earth? That link almost killed me. Thanks, hooligan! ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-joel-and-later-questions-on-moderator-actions/49213/5 "2001-01-09T22:42:03Z")
waiiit a minit… I should be more careful believing everything I read on the internet. (another innocent dream… shattered) ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-joel-and-later-questions-on-moderator-actions/49213/6 "2001-01-09T22:53:29Z")
I don’t think that’s actually Jackie Chan answering the questions. Go to the home page and check out who the authors are. But the page is funny and Jackie Chan is pretty cool. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-joel-and-later-questions-on-moderator-actions/49213/7 "2001-01-09T23:01:02Z")
Oh Jesus, the Jackie Chan link was priceless! I am still laughing at the “Stupid American Girls with Silver Spoons and Wangs in their Mouths” comment! But I think it was shoes. ---
**Author:** ![G.Nome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c89c15/32.png) [@G.Nome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G.Nome)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-joel-and-later-questions-on-moderator-actions/49213/8 "2001-01-10T01:34:59Z")
Do you think everyone knows what these Piano Man lyrics mean now? And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar And say, “Man, what are you doin’ here?” I know for a fact that the bread-in-the-jar thing has become a mystery to some people. ---
**Author:** ![TheThill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheThill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheThill)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-joel-and-later-questions-on-moderator-actions/49213/9 "2001-01-10T01:52:01Z")
Isn’t “bread” for “money” in common usage? Or am I missing something? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-joel-and-later-questions-on-moderator-actions/49213/10 "2001-01-10T02:56:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TheThill \* > \*\*Isn’t “bread” for “money” in common usage? Or am I missing something? \*\* Nope, you aren’t missing a thing. A lot of piano bar players have a big glass jar on the piano for tips. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-joel-and-later-questions-on-moderator-actions/49213/11 "2001-01-10T04:40:39Z")
Now for a tougher question - can anyone explain the lyrics to “Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)”? Are they allegorical, or are they meant to be taken literally? ---
**Author:** ![G.Nome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c89c15/32.png) [@G.Nome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G.Nome)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-joel-and-later-questions-on-moderator-actions/49213/12 "2001-01-10T06:32:32Z")
The last time I heard anyone use the word “bread” for “money” was in a 1967 episode of Mod Squad. But may be it’s a time warp thing. Is it? You should be careful. If I was you I wouldn’t ask too many people these days to “put bread in your jar” - you’ll end up with your name on a quilt. ---
**Author:** ![Nurlman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Nurlman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nurlman)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-joel-and-later-questions-on-moderator-actions/49213/13 "2001-01-10T13:32:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Alessan \* > \*\*Now for a tougher question - can anyone explain the lyrics to “Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)”? > > Are they allegorical, or are they meant to be taken literally? > \*\* The liner notes on _Songs in the Attic_ seem to explain this one. I don’t have the album right in front of me, but the song is a response to the 1975 fiscal crisis in New York City, in which President Gerald Ford’s refused to consider a federal bailout. The _New York Daily News_ ran a famous headline: “FORD TO NEW YORK: DROP DEAD,” which led to a lot of New Yorkers to think that the City was doomed. “Miami 2017” was written sometime in the late 70s. (It first appeared on 1980’s _Turnstiles_.) It’s a sort of fantasy about the eventual collapse of the City from fiscal and other pressures. “The lights go out on Broadway,” (which incorporates a reference to the 25-hour blackout in NYC in 1977-- see also “they turned our power down”), “the mighty skyline fall[s],” etc. The narrator of the story is one of the former residents who fled to Miami and is telling the story of the last days of the City he used to live in to people forty years in the future. It’s allegorical, but has a sort of protest song-y kind of feel to it. Plus, it rocks better than just about any other song Billy Joel ever did. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-joel-and-later-questions-on-moderator-actions/49213/14 "2001-01-10T13:59:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by G. Nome \* > \*\*Do you think everyone knows what these Piano Man lyrics mean now? > > And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar > And say, “Man, what are you doin’ here?” > > I know for a fact that the bread-in-the-jar thing has become a mystery to some people. > \*\* I thought it meant they were giving him food, being so nice as to place it in a jar so it would keep longer. :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D ---
**Author:** ![Knighted\_Vorpal\_Sword](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ac91a4/32.png) [@Knighted\_Vorpal\_Sword](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knighted_Vorpal_Sword)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-joel-and-later-questions-on-moderator-actions/49213/15 "2001-01-10T14:31:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by G. Nome \* > **I know for a fact that the bread-in-the-jar thing has become a mystery to some people.** I’m glad I didn’t say I was listening to a “record” or “an album.” It’s sad that my kids won’t ever know what “you sound like a broken record” means. They also won’t know what those funny round black plastic things in the basement are either. ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-joel-and-later-questions-on-moderator-actions/49213/16 "2001-01-10T15:23:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by G. Nome \* > \*\* If I was you I wouldn’t ask too many people these days to “put bread in your jar” - you’ll end up with your name on a quilt. \*\* **G. Nome** , I want you to explain exactly, precisely what you mean by this remark. Choose your words more carefully than you have ever done. I think that I am furious right now, but I want to give you a chance to explain. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-joel-and-later-questions-on-moderator-actions/49213/17 "2001-01-10T18:35:03Z")
Whooosh! \*\*G nome’s \*\* comment went right over my head and judging by **Manhatton’s** reaction I’m probably glad it has. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-joel-and-later-questions-on-moderator-actions/49213/18 "2001-01-10T19:14:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Nurlman \* > “Miami 2017” was written sometime in the late 70s. (It first appeared on 1980’s _Turnstiles_.) It’s a sort of fantasy about the eventual collapse of the City from fiscal and other pressures. “The lights go out on Broadway,” (which incorporates a reference to the 25-hour blackout in NYC in 1977-- see also “they turned our power down”), “the mighty skyline fall[s],” etc. The narrator of the story is one of the former residents who fled to Miami and is telling the story of the last days of the City he used to live in to people forty years in the future. It’s allegorical, but has a sort of protest song-y kind of feel to it. > > Plus, it rocks better than just about any other song Billy Joel ever did. \*\* Thanks, Nurlman. A minor correction, though - _Turnstiles_ was released in 1976, one year before Joel hit it big with _The Stranger_. Many songs from this underappreciated album were re-released on _Songs in the Attic_. BTW, manhatan - I second casdave. Are you just angry at G. Nomes willful incoherence, or do you actually understand what she’s trying to say? ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-joel-and-later-questions-on-moderator-actions/49213/19 "2001-01-10T19:16:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TheThill \* > \*\*Isn’t “bread” for “money” in common usage? Or am I missing something? \*\* Once, back in the late 70’s a co worker of mine at the correction center kept telling me that some ‘dude’ had been by for his paycheck. I insisted to her that there were no males expecting to pick up a paycheck at that local and she must have gotten **something** wrong. She kept on, eventally adding the info that it was a black male named Bill, to which I replied: “the only man named Bill that I know who would be coming here for **anything** is Bill so and so, and the only thing he would be looking for are the loaves of bread in the freezer”. she said, of course “well, bread means money, doesn’t it?” I didn’t hire her, honest. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-joel-and-later-questions-on-moderator-actions/49213/20 "2001-01-10T19:43:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Alessan \* > \*\*BTW, manhatan - I second casdave. Are you just angry at G. Nomes willful incoherence, or do you actually understand what she’s trying to say? \*\* Well, not to speak for **manny** , but it appears to me that **G. Nome** is drawing a reference to anal sex, and the “AIDS Quilt”. Which is why I would get upset too. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-joel-and-later-questions-on-moderator-actions/49213.md?page=2)